Endless are the silly norms - hat brims to hemlines - ready to be codified into law we signed God’s name onto, forming a grooved, unnecessary moat. Endless is the cycle in which we confound community and conformity, producing children like factory batch cookies who are easy to marry off. Endless is the line of us ducklings, waddling behind a straw man we told ourselves was God. Endless are the ways to render ourselves indistinct as raindrops, to relinquish responsibility for the deviant religion we followed into existence.
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Jewish Young Professional 
A groovy response to blind faith in anything and everything!
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Thanks! Took the liberty of changing the prompt from “groovy” to “grooved” because “groovy” as an adjective is tough to work into a piece. But I appreciated the inspiration
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This is gorgeously rendered! Such a fresh perspective on the subject, yes we are often expected to follow norms and that too, blindly. Thank you so much for adding your voice to the prompt ❤️❤️
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I think even worse, it’s an expectation we create for ourselves. Thank you for the prompt inspiration
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Fantastic take on a collective state of being. Every line is perfect. Wow!
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Thanks! This one might be one of my favorites
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You banged on cultural and theo-illogical heads and nailed them good.
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Theo-illogical, I love that. I’m going to use this word in something
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I can’t wait to see how you use it.
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Love this heretical poetry! 😍
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I enjoyed writing this one. I think it’s one of my favorites
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Very well written. I have a lot to say, but I will just note that I once wrote a poem with a line about not wanting to be a “cookie-cutter Artscroll clone,” but I took out “cookie-cutter” before it got published on Hevria. (I think I thought it was cliched and Americanised.)
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I had a feeling you’d have thoughts on this one! Cookie cutter is a bit cliche, but it’s cliche for a reason because of the truth behind it. I tried factory batch cookies to try to twist it a bit, I may revisit in revision. Would be curious to read your Artscroll clone poem if you’re game to share (no pressure and you could email if you prefer)
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I thought ‘factory batch cookies’ was better, I didn’t mean to imply that yours was cliched.
In included the poem inside this article. I don’t actually dare to read the article again, although the poem seems mostly OK. I’d cut the Lenny Bruce reference now, though.
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I like it better too. Like going beyond the idea of merely shaping youth with a mold to mass-producing children in order to sell on the shidduch marketplace – even more disturbing!
I really like your poem – “Artscroll clone” is better. “Cookie-cutter” would have cheapened it.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it.
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I love this poem especially the first two stanzas. 😀
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Thanks! I think this one might be one of my favorites out of all the poetry I’ve written
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I could sing endless praise but will stop short and just say, it is perfect!
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I think this is one of my favorites. Thank you!
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You are welcome.
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Dysfunctional obedience to norms, and a distorted view of God’s Will, are wrong, but rightly understood it all works out so well.
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I have nothing against the normal observance of religion. It’s when the social and communal norms become a religion and distort what it means to practice.
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Nice! Very thought provoking. And like all things with no end in sight all is endless and eternal. My perspective on this prompt was that of a child, and yours, of an adult. Unfortunately, neither is endless!
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Hmm, good point. I used endless because a) I thought of the cycle of social norms to abuse in this way as seemingly (and unfortunately) endless, perpetuating this non-religion as a religion, b) I liked the poetic effect of the repetition of endless and c) mainly because it linked to one of the prompts. But you’re right that it doesn’t make sense if you’re looking at it from the perspective of an individual
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A thoughtful response to the prompt. Love the imagery of: indistinct as raindrops.
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Drawing on the peer/societal pressure in religious community was the first thing that came to mind! I also loved that description, the watering down of individuality to be instinct
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endless are our irrational ways inclusive and regardless of religion. you sure know how to get to the point jyp. I like the way you so often hit the thought button in others.
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Good point about our irrationality. Glad to hear that this resonated!
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It’s actually very timely for me. While I’m very traditional in my beliefs, at the same time I strongly dislike the garb, especially veils, traditional Catholics wear. I stick out like a sore thumb in church because I don’t wear it. And I wear pants. It’s so odd, I’m a hussy there and a frump everywhere else. Are you going through something religion-wise to prompt the poem?
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The dress codes and assumptions bother me. Like there’s so much attention paid in specific Orthodox communities to the particulars of hat and kippah choice for men, thickness of stockings, hemlines of skirts, type of haircovering, even length of wig (don’t even get me started on Orthodox married woman head coverings)…and like, wearing a kippah technically isn’t even a commandment. Not every community or even every Orthodox community is like that, and I deliberately choose to live in communities where no one will ever hassle me, but conceptually, it just bothers me to see my religion reduced to conformity standards. Judaism is more than black hats and modesty standards.
I had no idea veil wearing was a thing in Catholic church services. Then again I think the only time I was in a Catholic church was for my friend’s wedding ceremony several years ago so that is probably not representative.
I also agree with you that one shouldn’t make assumptions based on appearance or dress. The most religious people I have ever met didn’t look the part. Does your community give you a hard time?
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This is wise and insightful my friend. Always glad to see you at the Muse!
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Thank you! I really liked that photo from the prompt.
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I can see how people become pedantic about these things. I’m a pedant myself but even I have my limits, like I do in this place. To be too focused on particulars is to completely lose the point. The veil thing is popular among the very traditional crowd. I don’t have a problem if people like to wear it. I just don’t want to. But they don’t give me a hard time–they don’t give me any time! We’ve been going there since last year and have made little headway making friends, which is weird because we usually make friends at all the different places we go. The way I look at it, while I’d be happy to make friends, I’m here to worship, so I’m not going to worry too much about it. Not to mention the fact that Catholics are oddly unfriendly without meaning to be. A person might see you at Church X and never say hello, but see you at a function at Church Y and be overjoyed to see their friend from Church X. Now that I think about it, that actually did happen with another parishioner from the traditional church that I saw somewhere else.
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I think to attend only for prayer/worship with no expectations for making friends is impressive. I’m primarily motivated by prayer/worship too – I’m on the board of a congregation with no young people (and I don’t care) because I love their services, and I will never join a congregation that is a bad fit religiously in order to make friends. But I still hope to be at least friendly with the other people. True friends are rare anywhere in adulthood, but I’ve at least been successful with the friendly fellow congregants part.
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I mean, I hope we make some friends. If I were solo I honestly don’t know if I’d want to go all the time. I think it’ll happen in time. I’m glad you’ve got a congregation you like.
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I’m sure you’ll make friends at your church.
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Your words are a wakeup call about the temptation to relax into default modes.
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Yes, exactly. I’m all for observance of religion or spiritual tradition that one finds meaningful, but blindly following anything just because others are doing so never ends well
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Silly norms indeed. I have been escaping into Downton Abbey, which I had not expected to like so much, given the norms of the day. But it is a lovely escape from the grimness of Now. I especially like “producing children like factory batch cookies”………….
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The norms give the society a flavor and color. But I maintain that these social customs shouldn’t become a religion. I liked that line about producing children too.
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A very thought provoking poem – I really like the phrasing. My favorite is “indistinct as raindrops, to relinquish responsibility”. We all find our own level just like water…
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I enjoyed writing this poem. I liked “instinct as raindrops” too. Like the loss of individual identity to become transparent and undetectable from everyone else in the water. Thank you.
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I like the raindrop simile – one following another, following another, following another …
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I really liked that image too. So glad to hear that it resonated.
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These lines really speak to me, JYP ❤
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Thanks! Yeah, I liked the idea of this line that starts off almost cute with the ducklings (because ducklings in a line are cute) but then you get to the end and it’s really a disturbing thought.
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Excellent poem. I think faith is a salve, but this sort of blind faith applies to so many things in life including secular institutions.
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Agreed. Religion has plenty of problems (I say this as a moderately religious person). At the same time, I also don’t think that putting that same kind of faith and devotion into secular institutions/philosophies is necessarily an improvement. I think the answer is faith in something you find personally meaningful, makes you a better person, and improves your life, but I don’t encourage blind faith in anything.
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Such a great poem! I love walking in the rain, so peaceful.
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“waddling behind a straw man
we told ourselves was God”
Perfect lines; apt description.
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I definitely feel that way about some of the things that get followed like religion. Glad to hear this resonated!
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yes, I like this: poetry with bite; I like each stanza: the images are striking and apt —
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Glad to hear your feedback. I think this might be among my favorites of all the poetry I’ve written
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every verse is equally strong —
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The “hat brims to hemlines” image is such a great concrete visual to represent silly norms.
“producing children
like factory batch cookies”
The whole poem is great and I love the third stanza especially.
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Thank you! This might be among my favorite poems that I’ve written.
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Hi, JYP❣️
I just want to let you know that this week’s W3, hosted by our beloved Punam, is now live!
Take care,
David
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[…] by writing in the first place by responding to prompts on my anonymous non-poetry blog that is so good that I’m kinda mad at myself for posting it. Image by Mohamed Hassan from […]
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